


Kreacher

by MerakiForest



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Bigotry & Prejudice, Character Study, Drabble, Gen, Pureblood Culture (Harry Potter), Regret, The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, What-If
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-05-07
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:01:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24062518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MerakiForest/pseuds/MerakiForest
Summary: Harry Potter regrets many things regarding Sirius Black, but maybe most of all was not being able to mend things between him and his House Elf Kreacher.
Relationships: Sirius Black & Harry Potter, Sirius Black & Kreacher
Comments: 3
Kudos: 19





	Kreacher

**Author's Note:**

> This drabble was inspired by [this](https://lifeisyetfair.tumblr.com/post/187740071320/hp-meta-kreacher-and-sirius) post. The timeline might not be exactly perfect since it's been a hot minute since I've read the books, but I think it works out.

"Sirius? Can I ask you a question?"

The older wizard looked up from his book in surprise. 

"Of course, Harry. Anything."

Scratching at his unruly mop of hair, the teen made his way over to the musty old couch and sat gingerly next to his godfather. Something had been bothering him for a while and he just needed to get it figured out before he was back at Hogwarts after the break.

"Do you remember telling me that how we treat our inferiors is how you can know what a person is really like?"

"Yeah?"

Sirius' arm wrapped around the boy's still scrawny shoulders. He was really starting to hit a growth spurt, and Sirius wondered if he would end up taller than James had been. Harry fidgeted with the edge of his sweater before pushing his glasses back up his nose.

"Why do you treat Kreacher so badly?" he finally blurted out. 

"Uh, what?" Sirius' eyes were widened in surprise and Harry felt a little silly again. Maybe this was one of those things that all real wizards seemed to know and understand but eluded him. 

"I'm sorry, it's probably just stupid. I mean, I hang around Hermione all the time and for as much as she reads she doesn't always-"

"No, no, it's not stupid," Sirius interrupted. "Harry, it's never stupid to question people, older than you or not."

Harry grinned and pushed his glasses back up. "Speaking from experience, huh?"

"Of course," Sirius snorted before offering a wink to his godson. "But yeah, um, Kreacher. I don't...treat him badly." Harry gave him an unimpressed glare. "Okay, I admit that I don't treat him as _well_ , but it's because the little fiend deserves it. He's a wretch with terribly backward views and he should know better."

"But he's a house elf," Harry pressed.

"So?" Now it was Sirius' turn to look confused. "He insults people based on their blood status, supports the likes of Voldemort, makes anyone I like miserable, and is an overall insufferable thing. Why wouldn't I kick his scrawny backside?" Harry opened and shut his mouth for a few minutes as he thought about it. "C'mon, you know I'd be the same with that nasty Snivellus if Dumbledore didn't keep me on such a short leash. That snake deserves it even more but at least he has enough sense to be useful on occasion."

Harry laughed along with his godfather and pressed into his side for a hug. They quickly and easily moved on to other matters of discussion, but it was a night that would haunt Harry for a long time. It would be years after Sirius' death before he could think about it again without a stinging pain of guilt and remorse. What if he had just listened to more of Hermione's speeches about the rights of the House Elves and about how they should be treated? He wished that he would have had enough bravery and compassion to tell Sirius that Kreacher _was_ different from Snape because he never really had a chance to know better.

Kreacher never had access to a Hogwarts education or an opportunity to see first-hand how different the reality of Muggle-born and Half-blood wizarding kind was from the poisonous ideals he was surrounded with. He was a slave and one that had been raised and enslaved by a family of prejudiced wizards and witches. Kreacher had never been allowed to see or hear other points of view.

After the destruction of the Horcruxes, Harry would grieve even more because his godfather never got to see the side of Kreacher that his own brother Regulus had been able to uncover - the House Elf that could love. The House Elf that was willing to put aside his own ingrained prejudices when he was treated with love and compassion, who was willing to go up in arms in the name of a Beloved Master who had loved him in turn. The House Elf that took a leadership role during the Battle of Hogwarts. The House Elf that now tended faithfully to Grimmauld Place and respected all witches and wizards even if it was still a struggled for him.

If only he had said something that night, even if it was nothing more than to beg his godfather to not abuse the poor thing, Sirius might have lived to have seen it himself. He could have lived to see Severus disprove him and lay down his life for the cause. He could have known that his own dear brother had not been "soft" after all, but brave and good. 

Harry Potter grieved for the man who had died with so much hatred and misunderstanding will festering in his heart, and he regretted not making the one choice that might have made all the difference.


End file.
